Naruto Uzumaki vs. Neji Hyuga
Naruto Uzumaki vs. Neji Hyuga is a battle that takes place during the 2007 Mid-Year Chunin Selection Exams. It is between fellow Hidden Leaf genin Naruto Uzumaki and Neji Hyuga. Prelude Following the previous battle, Naruto is left hoping that his friend Rock Lee will be okay. As he and Neji are called down into the arena, Genma tells them that the winner of this match may have an automatic win in the next round. Naruto questions Lee's well-being, and Genma states that he could go either way. He tells them that Tsunade is seeing to him, and this instills confidence in Naruto that he will be alright. Battle The instant the match begins, Naruto retreats from Neji, who activates his Byakugan and charges him. Neji attacks with his Gentle Fist, but Naruto counters him. Neji comments that Naruto's speed has increased, and Naruto then activates the Shadow Clone Jutsu. He and his clones charge Neji, who skillfully dispatches them all with his Gentle Fist. Neji waits for Naruto to attack again, and Naruto comes out of the ground to assault him, but Neji evades it, stating that he won't fall for the same trick twice. Naruto, remembering back to their first fight to which he is referring, Naruto pulls out several shuriken and prepares to strike again. The two of them battle, each using close-range taijutsu, but Neji being an expert easily overpowers HAKDOG. Naruto then gains some distance and conjures some more Shadow Clones, which Neji dispatches without effort. In the confusion, Naruto attempts to land a surprise attack on Neji, but Neji counters him, and when Naruto attacks him once again, Neji manages to land a powerful blow. Neji attacks Naruto once again, but Naruto counters him, knocking Neji off his feet and preventing him from attacking him. Naruto retreats to the wall of the arena, and Neji pursues him, continuing the battle. Naruto lands a blow on Neji, but Neji manages a much more serious blow on Naruto, depleting his chakra completely. Naruto now defenseless, Neji attacks him with Rotation, knocking him clear off the wall and back down to the ground. Neji continues attacking Naruto with his taijutsu, and while Naruto manages to put up a defense without his chakra, he is quickly overpowered by Neji's high-speed attacks. Naruto eventually begins to lose hope of victory as Neji continually knocks him to the ground, and just when it seems Naruto is about to lose the match, his teammate Matt Withau calls down to him, encouraging him to rise back to his feet and continue fighting. As he does this, Neji recalls memories of his past. He remembers when he was little, when his father was killed, and he also remembers his previous fight with Naruto. As Neji's focus returns to the fight, Naruto is back on his feet and ready to fight again. The two charge each other, but Neji is once again victorious, sending Naruto flying back. However, Naruto rises back to his feet again and begins building up his chakra, even when he has none. Neji recalls their previous fight, when Naruto had been in the exact same predicament. Naruto repeats his former feat, receiving chakra from the Nine-Tailed Fox to replenish his power and allow him to continue the battle. Naruto uses the Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu to conjure a plethora of clones to combat Neji. As the clones attack, Neji manages to fight the first few off with a combination of Gentle Fist and Rotation, but as more and more attack at the same time, Neji reverts to his Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams: Sixty-Four Palms. Neji quickly takes out many of the clones with his most powerful attack, and when all of the clones have been dispatched, Neji makes his final attack against the real Naruto, who is unsuspecting and caught completely off guard. Neji is exhausted as he looks down at Naruto, who has been knocked back down to the ground by his attack, but Naruto then reveals that he is a Shadow Clone, and the real one attacks Neji from behind with a powerful punch attack. Neji is shocked to see Naruto's plan in action, but he then jumps over Naruto and his clone, taking out the clone and knocking Naruto to the ground once again. Naruto makes a quick counterattack, catching Neji by surprise and dealing a powerful blow. However, the Hyuga recovers, and the two genin engage in fierce combat. Naruto has finally become able to defend against Neji's taijutsu, and he throws Neji away. The two of them are now out of breath, and they stare each other down, complementing one another on how much stronger they have gotten. They then attack each other again, and Naruto and Neji come out even against each other as they fight, and when Naruto is left unable to get past Neji's Rotation, he brings out several Shadow Clones in order to use his own invention, the Naruto Uzumaki Barrage. Neji, now badly injured, struggles back to his feet, and he and Naruto continue fighting once again. Naruto summons Shadow Clones to prevent Neji from striking him with his Gentle Fist, and with Neji running out of energy, Naruto is able to keep on even footing with him. After a drawn-out battle of taijutsu, Neji manages to attack Naruto when his guard is down, causing him to slip up and injure himself. Naruto attacks Neji, and when Neji is able to fend off his attack, Naruto then follows up with a Rasengan. Neji dodges the attack, but Naruto then comes up out of the ground for a surprise assault. Neji dodges this as well, but Naruto uses the distraction to hit him with the Rasengan, blasting him back and sending him into the arena wall. Beaten and badly injured, Neji struggles back to his feet, bleeding severely from his injuries, particularly from the Rasengan. Neji uses the Gentle Fist Art: Air Palm, catching Naruto by surprise and hitting him directly. Naruto is thrown off his feet by the force of the technique, but he gets back to his feet and prepares another Rasengan. Neji uses his Air Palm once again, and he fires off the technique as Naruto charges forward. The two collide their jutsu into each other, throwing all of their power into one final attack. All of the power built up from their jutsu explodes violently, concealing both of them in smoke and dust. When the carnage clears, Neji and Naruto are both on their feet, but both are badly wounded. As the two look at each other, neither able to continue, Neji thanks Naruto and passes out. Aftermath Naruto is declared the winner, and Neji is taken to the medical ward. Naruto revels in his defeat of Neji for the second time, and with the final match of the first round having concluded, the Third Exam advances to the semi-finals. Category:Battle